Fire Fest: Craft Beer Event, with Great Food and Amazing Live Music

Any truly great craft beer event manages to mix great beers with terrific food. Throw in great live music and you are onto a winner. I headed out to District 2 on Saturday to go to the Fire Fest event at The Oxygen, in front of the Vista Condo block. This was a great setting for what was an excellent event. I only had time to spend a few hours there but was lucky enough to catch the set by The Lost Art on the live stage. These guys are the best band in town for me at the moment. Every time I’ve seen them they have delivered. A great sound from a really tight four piece. Front man Daniel Tooman is a fine singer and their repertoire which mixed in Vietnamese songs with pop and rock standards had the crowd on the side from the opening number.

The food was provided by Quan Ut Ut, Windy City Diner and Jake’s BBQ. Together they offered loads of variety and my only regret was not being able to fit them all in. Judging by the fact that most people seemed to be eating at some point, it looks like they did good business. Top food for a top craft beer event.

At any Craft Beer Event the Stars of the Show are the Beers

Of course the star attraction at any craft beer event, is always the quality of the beers on offer. Here in Saigon these days, we are lucky. Personal favourites are difficult to name as I honestly haven’t had one brewery that doesn’t do it for me. Winking Seal had their delicious Cream Ale on tap and I wasn’t going to miss out on that. I adore Three on a Bike’s Kosmonavt and Heart of Darkness never disappoints. Phat Rooster’s Blonde is one of the most drinkable beers in town on a humid afternoon. But Pasteur Street, Platinum, LAC, East West, Fuzzy Logic and Te Te all delivered. All excellent beers from our locally based, superbly talented Brewers. Californian Brewers Anderson Valley also had bottled product on sale. We are spilled these days in Saigon.

Three on a Bike’s Kosmonavt is a firm favouriteThe ever popular Phat RoosterTe Te seemed to be selling wellSmiling faces on the LAC standPlatinum were one of the first of the local craft brewersPasteur Street were enjoying themslevesMax and the crew from Fuzzy LogicGood to see East West here

California’s Anderson Valley were represented as wellAs always it was fun and games with Heart of Darkness

The atmosphere was reallyy good and the crowds certainly enjoyed themselves. The rain held off, at least while I was there. But the temperature and humidity was climbing and certain to bring rain after I left. I like this location, rightt next to the Hanoi Highway it is a nice spot.

Following a highly successful 25-year career as a singer/songwriter and musician, Keith pulled out of the rat race and moved to Southeast Asia in 2008. First living in Thailand, he moved to Cambodia and then relocated to Ho Chi Minh City in early 2013. Keith has had work published in magazines and websites in the UK, Europe, USA, Australia and Asia. He has written for the BBC and has appeared on TV and radio in many different countries. His great loves are music and travel, but he writes on a whole range of subjects.